Baby Blues
by nancy fan
Summary: Sequel to Natural Born Killer. Still trying to recover from the aftermath of her previous case, Veronica's life is again thrown into turmoil when she receives some unwelcome news.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys:) Thanks so much for the amazing response I received to Natural Born Killer. I really appreciate people taking the time to read and review:)**

**Here's the first chapter of the sequel. I hope everyone enjoys!**

* * *

><p>Pushing her way through the door of the doctor's office, Veronica felt physically sick. A few hours ago, her biggest worry had been trying to decide if she should move back in with Logan Echolls and now they were going to be sharing a lot more than closet space, whether she liked it or not.<p>

_How the hell did this happen?_ Veronica considered wildly, her hands shaking as she grappled with her car keys and tried to open the door.

_Things like this didn't happen to someone like her._

Naive teenage girls, making out in the backs of their parents cars or drunk college students got 'knocked up' but not Veronica. She was a smart girl, an FBI agent no less, boasting a summa cum laude from Hearst and being pregnant was most definitely not part of the plan.

_Oh, God_. Veronica moaned, panic threatening to overwhelm her as she sat motionless in her car. _What the hell was she going to do?_

The morning which had started off so glorious, was now threatening to break. Dark clouds shrouded what had previously been a vast sunny blue and the first of the rain was starting to spit down from above. Turning on the window wipers, Veronica pulled out from the car lot and drove down the street in no particular direction. Driving on the open road always made Veronica feel better, helped her clear her head and she was certainly in need of that now.

Swinging onto the highway, Veronica put her foot on the gas and felt a sudden surge of exhilaration as she overtook a black Lexus and took the next exit in the direction of Sunset Mall.

The pregnancy test was wrong. It had to be, Veronica decided in a sudden burst of optimism. What did one doctor's test tell, anyway? Veronica would buy her own pregnancy test and she was certain that this test would show the required result.

A line. A cross. Whatever goddamn mark it would take to prove for once and for all that she wasn't pregnant.

* * *

><p>Wandering through the aisles of the drug store, Veronica gave a careful glance over her shoulder as she reached the shelves that boasted box after box of pregnancy test in varying shades of blue and pink. Gingerly reaching for a box that promised ninety-nine percent accuracy, Veronica hastily strode to the cashier and handed over a crisp twenty dollar note from her wallet. Shoving the change into her pocket, she wandered out of the store.<p>

The restrooms were mercifully quiet as Veronica slipped into a stall and with shaking hands withdrew the pregnancy test from the crumpled paper bag.

Three minutes, the back of box promised. The longest three minutes Veronica was certain she would ever experience.

Turns out the test didn't take three minutes. It didn't even take one.

Placing the plastic stick on the top of the toilet, Veronica's heart sank seeing the second red line starting to snake across the result panel.

There was no point denying it anymore. She was most definitely pregnant. The only question now was how she'd break the news to Logan.

* * *

><p>Walking through the mall as though in a daze, Veronica somehow pulled herself enough together to buy a cup of coffee.<p>

Driving anywhere was most definitely not an option now; Veronica being so distracted she was likely to crash into the first car she met the second she turned onto the highway.

Sliding into an empty booth, Veronica sipped the steaming drink slowly, her attention attracted by the sight of a young woman wandering into the coffee shop, a smiling toddler perched at her hip.

She was blonde like Veronica. Approximately the same age but that was where the similarities ended.

Her daughter clutched carefully in her arms, the woman made motherhood seem like the most natural thing in the world, the blonde girl squealing in delight as her mother tickled her playfully.

She seemed so at home with the bottles and rattles and dolls that were strewn across their table, while Veronica was far more comfortable with her gun and a blood soaked crime scene.

_This is never going to work._ Veronica resigned herself with a weary sigh, draining her cup of now cold coffee before heading outside.

Sitting into her car, Veronica lowered her head to the steering wheel and willed herself not to start crying. Taking a few deep breaths, she forced herself to regain her composure before reaching into her pocket and taking out her cell phone.

First things first. Veronica wanted to feel normal again and that involved her going back immediately to work.

"Agent Mars," Marilyn's familiar voice came over the phone and Veronica took a deep breath to steady her voice before she replied. "How are you feeling? I trust the break away from the office is doing you good."

"That's actually why I'm calling you, Agent Hauser. I got the all-clear from the doctor this morning and she's certified me as being fit to return to my full duties. I was hoping to start back in the morning, if you agreed."

Veronica held a breath as she waited for Marilyn to reply.

"As long as you feel like you're ready to return," Marilyn answered, her concern evident in her voice. "You've been through a lot over the past few weeks and it's important that you give yourself the time you need to recuperate both physically and mentally."

"I'm fine, Agent Hauser, really." Veronica replied defiantly, not willing to allow the unit director talk her into taking some extended sick leave.

"Well if you're sure," Marilyn replied reluctantly, and Veronica heaved a sigh of relief. "There's a hell of a lot of paperwork that needs to be caught up with, so I'm sure Burke would appreciate the help. We'll see you in the morning so."

Sliding her cell phone shut, Veronica felt infinitely better. Even paperwork sounded a million times more appealing than the prospect of being alone in Logan's apartment, left with nothing but her thoughts of the baby and how that was going to change absolutely everything in her life.

* * *

><p>Pulling in front of Logan's apartment building, Veronica felt a little sick seeing her boyfriend's car still parked outside. She'd hoped he'd be still in work and Veronica could leave this conversation to later that day when she'd at least had a chance to absorb the bombshell Dr. Lavelle had just dropped on her.<p>

Sliding her key into the lock, Veronica was just about to open the door, when Logan pulled it open for her, a wide smile on his face.

"Hey babe," he greeted her, pulling Veronica into a warm hug which she accepted gratefully. "How did you get on with the doctor?"

"Good," Veronica replied warily, pouring herself a glass of water and taking a seat at the kitchen table. "She cleared me to go back to work and Marilyn agreed I could start in the morning."

"I thought you'd be happy about that," Logan cut in concerned, recognizing that something was off in his girlfriend's voice. "All you've been saying for the past few days is how desperate you are to get back to work. What gives?"

Veronica knew she could never lie to Logan but the impulse to keep the pregnancy from him for now, to allow herself a little more time to digest the news herself, was almost overwhelming.

"Logan, the doctor said something," Veronica began hesitantly, knowing she needed to tell Logan about the pregnancy immediately before she had the chance to change her mind.

"What?" Logan demanded, his brown eyes meeting Veronica's blue ones worriedly. "She said you were okay to start back at work, so what could possibly be wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong," Veronica explained quietly, not wanting to actually verbalize the fact that she was pregnant. Somehow, though rationally she knew it made no sense, if Logan didn't know she pregnant, the whole thing might not be even real. Once she told him the news and they started talking about babies and doctor's appointments, there would be no going back and Veronica wasn't entirely certain she was ready to face that reality yet.

"Logan, I'm pregnant."

There. She'd said it. There was no going back now.

"You're pregnant?"

The shock in Logan's tone, echoed exactly how Veronica was feeling, like she'd been run over with a truck. Multiple times.

"But you're on the pill," he continued, confusion in his brown eyes and Veronica could see he was struggling to make sense of the situation.

"It's messed up," Veronica agreed, her voice shaking a little as she waited for Logan to reassure her that this would somehow turn out okay, that she hadn't just fucked up both their lives. "But two pregnancy tests don't lie, Logan. I'm definitely pregnant. The doctor thinks I might have thrown up one of the birth control pills when I was sick."

Pulling out a seat, Logan sat beside Veronica and took her hand. "How do you feel about this whole thing?"

Shrugging, Veronica stubbornly wiped away the few tears that escaped down her cheek before she forced herself to meet Logan's searching gaze.

"Logan, there are no words to describe what I'm feeling right now. When I think of babies, I think of being married, of living in a house with a garden and being at least ten years older. Actually, that's a lie. I don't even think that because I can't imagine myself ever having a baby. Babies and the FBI don't mix well, Logan. This is a freaking disaster," she finished with a sigh, lowering her face onto her hands and giving into the sobs that wracked her body.

"It will be okay, Veronica," Logan murmured softly, though his voice displayed none of the confidence of his words. "We will get through this. I promise."


	2. Chapter 2

**Guys, thank you so much for all the very positive feedback I received for the first chapter of this fic:) It's much appreciated so thanks:)**

**Here's the second chapter. I hope everyone enjoys:)**

* * *

><p>The sky was still inky black when Veronica pulled herself from their bed and throwing on her robe, headed into the kitchen. Thoughts of the pregnancy weighing heavily on her mind, Veronica couldn't sleep and saw little point in spending the next two hours tossing and turning in the bed. Better to get an early start, she knew. Work at least would provide a suitable distraction. Five minutes of being in the office and Veronica knew she would be confronted with a desk piled high with paperwork and at least half a dozen meetings with the team to attend.<p>

Logan hadn't slept very well either. He had even traipsed into the living room to watch something on the television at one point. Neither had broached the subject of her pregnancy though, both preferring to feign sleep and suffer quietly to oneself instead.

Reaching into the refrigerator, Veronica pulled out the makings of a salad. Rinsing the lettuce and tomatoes under the tap, Veronica was just about to start chopping an onion, when Logan wandered in from the bedroom, rubbing his eyes blearily.

"Good morning," Veronica greeted him with an affectionate smile, her heart melting a little at his bedraggled state. "You look like you slept almost as well as me."

"I think I managed about an hour at best." Logan replied with a halfhearted smile, filling the kettle with water and putting it onto the stove to boil. "I had a lot on my mind, you know?"

Chopping the tomatoes and onions meticulously, Veronica didn't reply and instead busied herself with rummaging in the cupboard for some salad dressing.

"We need to talk about this, you know, Veronica." Logan insisted taking her hand and pulling her down to sit beside him at the table. "I know you're scared but this is not just going to go away."

Sighing heavily, Veronica put her hands to her head and lowered her face to the table. "I know this won't just go away, Logan." she replied quietly, her voice surprisingly steady. "But I don't know what you expect me to do. Enroll in a pregnancy yoga class and buy a copy of 'What to Expect When You're Expecting' or something? We just found out the news yesterday. Can't that just be enough for now?"

Raising her blue eyes to meet his brown ones, Veronica looked utterly despondent and Logan felt a little guilty for upsetting her after the hellish few weeks his girlfriend had just been through.

"You know, I was thinking about the pregnancy and us last night and I think it's all going to be fine." Logan declared in a sudden burst of optimism that even prompted a hint of a smile onto Veronica's face.

"What makes you think that?"

"It's just a baby, right?" Logan replied with a careless shrug, flashing a bright smile at Veronica who was staring at him in complete bemusement. "I mean, how hard can it be? We can learn about formula and diapers, all that stuff."

"There's more to babies than changing diapers, Logan," Veronica replied frankly, resting back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. "Our lives aren't exactly baby-friendly. We hardly see each other as it is with work and I don't know how a tiny baby is going to fit into all of this."

"You're so pessimistic, Veronica," Logan chided her gently before pulling her close for a gentle kiss. "But I think you're going to be proven wrong in this case. When's our first appointment with the doctor?"

"I haven't made one yet." Veronica admitted guiltily, reaching for an orange from the fruit bowl in the centre of the table and starting to peel it distractedly. "I'll do it today, though."

"Oh, God," she moaned suddenly, bringing her hands to her temples. "I promised my dad we'd meet him for dinner this evening. He's booked The Steak House for eight o' clock," she informed Logan with a pleading smile. "Please tell me you'll be able to come. I don't know how I will get through my dad's probing questions about our living arrangement, if you're not there to back me up."

"I'll come for dinner once you promise not to tell him about the baby. At least not for now." Logan added pleadingly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I don't think I could handle Keith Mars interrogating me about how I plan to provide for his grandchild."

"You're in his good books at the moment." Veronica teased, walking over to the stove to pour herself a cup of boiling water before adding some sliced lemon to it.

"I doubt I will be for long once your dad discovers that I knocked up his little girl." Logan sighed and for once, Veronica didn't disagree with him. Keith Mars would not be happy with the news, she knew but Veronica couldn't allow herself to worry about that right now. Finding out she was going to be a mother in a few short months was more than enough to take in. She'd broach the news with her father when she was good and ready and as far as Veronica was concerned that was a long way off yet.

* * *

><p>Feeling infinitely better after a long, luxurious shower and taking the time to blow dry her hair, Veronica's spirits only rose when Burke handed her a tall container of coffee from Starbucks.<p>

"Couldn't have you face the office coffee on your first day back," he smiled charitably, before taking a seat at his desk opposite her. "It's good to have you back, Mars. How are you holding up?"

"Better, now I've got some caffeine flowing through the veins." Veronica beamed, taking a grateful sip from the steaming cup.

"Things have been hectic around here, huh?" Veronica asked, noting the dark shadows smudged beneath the FBI agent's eyes. Burke looked absolutely exhausted.

"Not really," he replied absently, starting to leaf through a weighty file that was on his desk. "Just the usual bullshit paperwork that needs to be finished. I swear, for the past week, I've done nothing but fill in forms and attend bloody meetings. On the plus side, I am getting home a little earlier, so at least I'm getting the chance to put Katie to bed. For a while there, I was getting a little worried that she would start to forget who I was."

"That's good," Veronica smiled, knowing how hard Burke found juggling the job with the demands of his wife and daughter.

"I still can't believe what went down in your apartment," Burke sighed, shaking his head as he glanced at Veronica. "You were one lucky girl to get out of there alive. Matthews was a complete psychopath."

At the mention of Brian Matthew's name, Veronica felt slightly sick. She still hated thinking about that day as Veronica was very aware of how close she came to death. The few hours of sleep Veronica had managed to get since the showdown at the apartment hadn't been peaceful. Memories of Brian's bloodied remains featured heavily in her nightmares, many of which Logan had had to wake her, screaming and crying in her sleep. Sometimes, Brian found her in the wardrobe and would press her Glock evilly to her head and Veronica would wake up shaking seconds before he managed to pull the trigger. Other times it would be Mac's body instead of Helen Bloomberg's that she found in The Lucky Motel.

"He was very disturbed," Veronica agreed grimly, turning her attention to the towering pile of paperwork on the desk in the hope that Burke would get the hint.

"I just can't get my head around the fact you knew this guy, Veronica," Burke prattled on, oblivious to Veronica's obvious discomfort. "Did you ever get a sense that something was off with him?"

"Can't say I did," Veronica replied quietly, trying desperately to end the conversation. "He always appeared to be the perfect gentleman, until the day he tried to kill me that is."

Unit Director Marilyn Hauser storming into the room, rescued Veronica from having to make further comment.

"The Red Ribbon Killer's back." she uttered grimly, using a finger to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Their twelve-year-old daughter discovered the two bodies when she got home from school. The girl is in a dreadful state, poor thing." Marilyn sighed, shaking her head sadly as looked between the pair. "I need the two of you to get over to the crime scene in Gladstone immediately and meet with the LAPD there. A Detective Grace is heading up the investigation."

* * *

><p>The Clarks lived in a modest red-brick bungalow that was fronted by a neatly tended lawn. Hanging baskets aglow with bright purples and pinks hung by the door while flowerbeds planted with delicate pink roses crept along the wall. Holding up their badges to a uniformed police officer, Burke and Veronica were allowed access to the house after he grunted his approval.<p>

"Detective Grace is waiting for you inside," he mumbled, not affording the FBI agents a second glance as he resumed his position on the door.

"Nice guy," Burke smirked, as he followed Veronica down the hall, the walls plastered with photographs of a blonde-haired girl whom Veronica presumed was the Clarks only daughter, Ciara. Glancing at the pictures, it was clear to see that the girl had been adored, seemingly every moment of her life so far displayed proudly on the wall.

His dark hair tightly shaved and standing at least six-foot two, Detective Grace was an imposing figure. Shoving out his hand in greeting to the FBI agents, Veronica and Burke immediately identified themselves as Agent Mars and Agent Burke before being ushered into the Clarks bedroom, which was where the carnage had taken place.

"Jesus," Burke swore, momentarily averting his eyes from the offending scene and shaking his head. "This never gets easier, does it?"

"I'm afraid not," Detective Grace answered with a grim nod and Veronica could feel her stomach give an unpleasant turn as her blue eyes absorbed the bloody mess in front of her.

James and Claire Clark had both been shot in the back of the head, the papered walls awash with bright sprays of red. Their naked bodied were sprawled awkwardly over the blood-sodden bed linen, their eyes staring dully at the ceiling. Tied around Claire's neck was the infamous red ribbon, which the deranged killer always left as his signature.

"I can't believe he's back again," Veronica murmured to no one in particular as she tried to quell her growing nausea.

Active during the summers of '08 and '09, The Red Ribbon Killer terrorized the city of Los Angeles, breaking into people's houses before shooting the occupants dead. The attacks were always random and without motive and the constant coverage of the murders on the television only resulted in the people of LA being terrorized even more. The fact the killer always left a red ribbon on the bodies of his victims was kept purposely out of the media and for this reason, the LAPD were able to immediately alert the FBI that the killer had struck yet again.

"We'll get the bastard, this time," Detective Grace mumbled with a confidence that Veronica wasn't certain she felt.

Nine bodies in his wake, The Red Ribbon Killer stalked the suburbs of LA fearlessly. The killer never alerted any suspicion and despite his brutal deeds, the FBI had as of yet to receive one single reporting sighting of the murderer from the public.

"Definitely." Veronica agreed, about to elaborate on her statement, when she felt the bile rising in her throat.

Racing outside, she made it just in time, the contents of her stomach spilling onto the grass.

* * *

><p>Despite it's rather unoriginal name, The Steak House had an excellent reputation in Neptune, the restaurant famed for it's generous portions and warm, friendly atmosphere. Tables booked out days in advance and even now on a Tuesday night, the restaurant was packed, the place alive with the clatter of tableware and the sounds of people chatting.<p>

"How are you, honey?" her father welcomed her warmly, enclosing his daughter in a loving hug when she and Logan were shown to their table by a smiling waitress.

"Good," Veronica smiled, taking a seat at the table and picking up the menu unenthusiastically. Truth be told, she hadn't felt very well since the Clark crime scene earlier that day and the thoughts of having to bite into one of the ridiculously thick steaks the restaurant was famed for were making her decidedly queasy again.

"Good to see you, Logan." Keith welcomed Logan with uncharacteristic warmness, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake. "I just want to reiterate my thanks for all you did to get Veronica away from that lunatic. Not that she needed the help in the end," he winked teasingly, glancing at his daughter proudly. "Still, you did a brave thing, Logan and I appreciate it. Just so you know."

"It was nothing," Logan protested a little red-faced, unused to receiving praise from Keith Mars. "And anyway as you say, my intervention was entirely unnecessary as Veronica was more than capable of protecting herself from Brian Matthews."

Opening his menu, Keith glanced absently through the items listed before he lifted his eyes to look at Veronica. "How's Mac holding up?"

"Good under the circumstances," Veronica replied with a sigh. "She was getting serious hassle from the media though so she headed to China last week to begin a few months of traveling around Asia. To be honest, I don't know if she will be back. There are just too many painful memories here for her to deal with."

A quietness fell over the table after that and the trio spent a few minutes trying to get to grips with the lengthy menu.

"Can I get you some drinks?"

Looking up, Veronica saw an impossibly perky looking waitress smiling down at them, her notebook and pencil poised in her hand.

"We'll have a bottle of the Shiraz," Keith replied, gesturing to the specific wine on the list. "Is red good with the rest of you?"

A glass of red wine sounded amazingly perfect after the hellish day Veronica had put down today but even she knew that alcohol consumption was frowned upon in pregnancy.

"I've an early start, so I'll have to stick to water, I'm afraid," Veronica declined reluctantly, asking the waitress for a bottle of mineral water instead.

"The red sounds good to me, Mr. Mars." Logan agreed, his brown eyes running enthusiastically over the various steak options on the menu.

Half an hour later and Logan and Keith were tucking happily into their fillet mignon, while Veronica unenthusiastically pushed her Caesar salad around the plate.

She wasn't sure if her sweater was too warm or if the restaurant had suddenly turned off the air conditioning but Veronica suddenly felt as though she was going to pass out from the heat. Pulling off her sweater, she raised a hand to her forehead and could feel a thin layer of sweat beaded there.

"Are you okay, honey?" Keith asked in concern and Veronica mumbled something unconvincingly in reply.

"I heard there was a couple found murdered out in Gladstone," Keith commented to his daughter as he took a long sip from his glass of wine. "It was all over the news on my way over here. Are the FBI involved in the case?"

Bile rising up her throat, Veronica couldn't answer her father. Pushing out her chair, she made a dash for the bathroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys:) I just want to say a big thank you for the very positive response I received to the last chapter:) It was much appreciated!**

**I'm expecting my first baby on the 3rd of October so I can understand a little of what Veronica's going through. Well, not the crime solving FBI stuff but the worries about pregnancy that I'm sure every mommy-to-be experiences.**

**Here's the next chapter. I hope everyone enjoys:)**

Sitting stiffly in the passenger seat of Logan's car, Veronica's stomach heaved miserably as he wound around yet another bend.

"How are you holding up?" Logan asked gently as he glanced at his girlfriend in concern.

"Okay, I guess," Veronica replied uncertainly, hastily opening the window in the vain hope that the fresh air might provide her with some relief. "I'm just so glad to be out of that restaurant. The smell of the food was killing me. What must my dad think?"

Logan had mumbled some excuse about Veronica complaining of feeling unwell earlier that day when she had made her impromptu dash to the restroom and thankfully, Keith Mars had accepted without further question.

"That you're sick?" Logan suggested with a smile. "Despite all the evidence pointing to the contrary, you are human and humans do tend to get sick from time to time, you know?"

"Funny," Veronica shot back weakly, swiping a hand across her brow. "If I didn't feel so crappy right now, I'd punch you."

"We'll be home in five minutes," Logan murmured reassuringly, as Veronica sat ashen face in the car beside him. "Think you can hold on that long?"

Veronica started nodding weakly in reply before another wave of nausea swept over her and she clamped a hand over her mouth.

"I'm going to be sick," she choked out, pushing open the car door the second Logan pulled to a stop at the side of the road and starting to retch violently.

It was going to be a long nine months.

Hearing the drone of her alarm clock, Veronica groaned unhappily as the realization suddenly hit her that it was time to get up. Her head ached and Veronica felt exhausted having spent most of the night crouched over the toilet bowl.

It would be so tempting to call in sick and for a fleeting moment, Veronica fantasized about ringing Marilyn and telling the unit director that she would out for the rest of the week. But then Veronica remembered the Clark's bloodied remains and she reconsidered. The first few days of investigating a case were crucial and Veronica didn't want to risk being kept out of the loop just because she was feeling a little bit nauseous. Well, maybe more than a little bit nauseous but nothing that a Starbucks and some paracetamol couldn't deal with.

"How are you feeling?"

Shifting over onto her side, Veronica could see Logan walking out of the bathroom, a towel slung casually around his waist.

"A lot better," she lied, forcing a smile onto her face, knowing that Logan would probably want her to take the day off work if he knew she was still sick.

Stepping into the shower, Veronica fought off the waves of dizziness that swept over her as she massaged the shampoo into her blonde hair. She felt terrible but a few minutes of having the hot water seep into her skin started to work their magic and by the time she was toweling her hair dry, Veronica was feeling infinitely better.

Logan was standing at the stove when Veronica walked in and Veronica felt recovered enough to even risk trying some of his bacon and eggs with her usual black coffee.

"She eats," Logan commented with a bemused expression on his face. "It's a miracle."

"Hilarious, Logan," Veronica retorted, glaring daggers at her boyfriend. "You know, if I had my way you would be sharing in this torture. It would make pregnancy a whole lot easier if we could do every second day on the morning sickness."

"You know I would love to be able to help you out, V," Logan joked, pressing a kiss against his his girlfriend's cheek. "But biology is against me, unfortunately."

"How convenient for you." Veronica smiled, taking a tentative few bites from her breakfast before giving up the meal as lost.

Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and throwing a few pieces of fruit into her bag, Veronica gave Logan a quick kiss before rushing out the door. She was already running late and LA morning traffic wasn't to be trifled with.

It was a scorcher. The temperatures were already well up in the nineties and it was barely ten o' clock. The road outside the Clark house was clogged with the vans and crew of the various news channels and Veronica could see them almost scrambling over one another for an interview, the second a neighbor or a curious bystander walked past. The story of the double murder had been splashed across every newspaper and every television station that morning and Veronica could only imagine the hype, if the media got wind of who was responsible for the killings.

"It's a damn shame," Burke mumbled beside her quietly, as he filled in Veronica on the details of the Clarks only daughter, Ciara. "It seems the girl doesn't have any family other than her parents, so she's been placed in foster care until child protective services can organize something more permanent."

"That is hard," Veronica sighed, empathizing immediately with the little girl who had been left so tragically on her own. "I wonder if it could be arranged for her to speak with us today. Though, I know it's unlikely, we still can't discount the fact that Ciara might have some information that might lead us to her parent's killer."

"Marilyn has set up the meeting for this evening." Burke informed her with a sigh, pushing his way past a few reporters who were angling for an interview.

Swiping a hand over the sweat that already glistened on his brow, Burke pulled out his ID and strode purposefully past the same sullen-faced policeman who had guarded the door the previous day.

The chaos that had gripped the Clark house the day before had thankfully subsided. The bungalow was now lonely and quiet, Detective Grace and a few members of the CSI unit the only police presence remaining in the house.

"We're almost finished up here,"

Glancing behind her, Veronica saw Detective Grace emerging from one of the bedrooms. The man looked exhausted. There were dark shadows smudged beneath his eyes and his wrinkled white shirt boasted the same coffee stain on the collar that it had the day before.

"There was a hell of a mess to clean up in the bedroom and CSI are hopeful that our guy left something behind."

"Have you spoken to any of the neighbors?" Veronica asked curiously, pushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. From experience, Veronica knew that you could always rely on nosy neighbors to drum to up some sort of a lead when they had nothing else.

"They hadn't much to say about the Clarks," the man shrugged. "Apparently they kept to themselves and didn't involve themselves much in the community. I was speaking with their next door neighbors, The Bensons and they reported that they only saw the family about once or twice a month. Margaret Benson seems to be a bit of a gossip and she thought that the family were a bit strange, if she was to be honest."

"Strange, as in how?" Veronica asked.

"They didn't participate in any of the community events and the daughter appeared to be a sad little child. Margaret Benson couldn't ever remember the girl having any friends over. She had invited Ciara to come over to her house a few times but the girl would never come. Ms. Benson suspected that the parents simply wouldn't let their daughter socialize with other children."

"That is sad." Veronica agreed, following Detective Grace down the hall towards the crime scene. "We'll need to speak with this Benson woman and any of the other neighbors who have information about the Clarks.

Pushing her way into the interview room, Veronica felt a surge of affection for the ten-year-old girl sitting forlornly on the seat. Small for her age, she had a head of pale blonde hair, which framed a thin, narrow face. She didn't smile, didn't offer any word of greeting, just started at Veronica nervously as the FBI agent took a seat opposite her.

"Hi, Ciara. My name is Veronica," Veronica began, plastering a wide smile on her face and extending a hand to Ciara which the girl reluctantly shook. "What grade are you in?"

Though clean, the girl's clothes were shabby Veronica noticed, the material of her shirt long faded through repeated washing and wear. And her nails were bitten to ugly stumps, the edge of her thumb red raw from where she had bitten the nail back too far.

"Forth," the girl replied back dully, making no attempt to expand on the conversation.

"You like school?" Veronica tried again, trying to engage the girl in conversation.

"It's okay, I guess," she answered back, refusing to meet Veronica's eyes, her face now lowered purposefully to the floor.

This wasn't working, Veronica immediately realized, deciding to change tack.

"I was sorry to hear about your parents. You must have got a terrible shock."

At the mention of her parents, the girl visibly paled.

"I don't want to talk about it."

The tone in her voice was almost defiant but Veronica could see the fear in the girl's wide blue eyes when she finally raised her face to meet Veronica's. "Mrs. Cook promised me that I wouldn't have to talk about _that_ if I didn't want to."

That being the brutal murder of both of her parents.

Mrs. Cook was the social worker assigned to Ciara Clark, Veronica knew.

"I won't force you to talk about anything you don't want to, Ciara," Veronica murmured comfortingly, trying to disguise her growing unease seeing an ugly purplish bruise snaking around the girl's wrist.

There was something wrong here, Veronica instantly knew. The child was hiding something and Veronica was determined to find out exactly what that was.

"What to expect when you're expecting. What the hell is this?"

"A book," Logan replied, an amused expression on his face as he noted his girlfriend's reaction. "I thought you could do with some light bedtime reading."

"This is your idea of light bedtime reading?" Veronica grumbled, taking the book and sliding it onto the kitchen table. "What's a book going to tell me, that I don't already know?"

"You're so cute when you're cranky," Logan teased her, taking Veronica in his arms and pressing his lips softly. "Maybe that's the start of those pregnancy hormones they talk about in chapter two."

"If you're trying to piss me off, you're going about it the right way," Veronica muttered accusingly, though a faint smile still graced her lips. "Now enough of the pregnancy talk and the pregnancy books and take me to bed. I've had the day from hell and I need a distraction."

"If it's a distraction the lady wants, a distraction the lady will get," Logan promised, sweeping Veronica into his arms and pushing the bedroom door open.

Depositing Veronica gently on the bed, Logan pulled off his shirt before sitting down beside her.

"I love you, Veronica," he murmured, bringing her face up to meet his and kissing her softly.

Between the shock of finding out about the pregnancy, Veronica's morning sickness and the demands of the Brian Matthews case, there was no denying that Veronica and Logan's sex life had suffered. While previously they would have found any excuse to drag one another to the bedroom, impatiently ripping off each other's clothes on the way, now the bed was seemingly reversed solely for sleep.

Relaxing into his touch, Veronica accepted Logan's advances eagerly, moaning in satisfaction as he started impatiently unbuttoning her shirt. Tossing the white cotton onto the floor, Logan pushed Veronica down onto the bed and the kiss started growing more heated.

"At least we don't need to worry about you getting pregnant, right?" Logan couldn't resist joking as his fingers worked on the clasp of Veronica's bra.

Enthralled by Logan's touch, Veronica couldn't even begin to formulate a sarky response. Instead she wound her arms around Logan's neck, her blue eyes squeezed shut in utter contentment.

For the first time in days, she didn't care about the pregnancy or the case or even about what her father would think. She had Logan and that was all that mattered. Everything else would just work itself out. It always did.

"I love you." she whispered to Logan later that night, though she know by the almost rhythmic sound of his breathing that he was already asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much for all the kind words I received for the last chapter:) They always put a smile on my face!**

**Now onto the next chapter:) I hope everyone enjoys...**

Sarah Jones, a motherly looking woman with her hair cut into a silver bob was the social worker assigned to Ciara Clark. Seeing Veronica, she looked up from the piles of paperwork perched precariously on her desk and smiled widely.

"Agent Mars, I presume," she began, holding her hand out in greeting. "Mr. Craig said you wanted to speak with me."

"Thanks for making the time, Mrs. Jones. I know you're busy." Veronica replied, pulling out the seat Mrs. Jones offered her and sitting down at the desk. "I understand you are the social worker assigned to Ciara Clark."

Seeing the woman nod in reply, Veronica began. "Would you mind telling me how you think Ciara is dealing with the death of her parents?"

Sarah Jones was pensive for a moment as she considered Veronica's question.

"It's hard to say," the woman replied uncertainly. "She's very withdrawn and refuses to talk to anyone about what's happened. Not that that's surprising considering what she's been through."

Nodding in agreement, Veronica sat up a little straighter in her chair and gazed at the social worker frankly. "Mrs. Jones, when I was talking to Ciara yesterday, I noticed she had some rather severe bruising on her wrist."

The woman didn't look too concerned. "Agent Mars, children bruise all the time. It doesn't necessarily mean anything."

"I know that," Veronica insisted, determined to have the woman take her seriously. Mrs. Jones was her one tentative link to Ciara at the moment and she needed the woman on her side. "But I don't think this bruising has been caused by normal child play. To be honest, it looks as though Ciara was grabbed really hard by the wrist."

"Thanks for letting me know, Veronica. I'll look into it," the woman promised, scribbling a quick note on Ciara's file.

"Has Ciara mentioned anything about what happened to either you or to her foster parents?" Veronica asked.

"Nothing," she replied regretfully with a solemn shake of her head. "Ciara becomes very distressed if you even bring up the subject of her parents. It's a lot for a ten-year-old to take in," the social worker sighed, crossing her legs and resting back in her chair. "The child psychologist who examined Ciara didn't appear to be overly concerned about her reluctance to discuss the issue. She said that it would just take time and Ciara should be allowed the space she needs to grieve the death of her parents without having being forced to relive the event over and over again."

Veronica could understand what the woman was saying but at the same time, if they had any hope of catching the killer, they needed Ciara to tell them the exact details of what she had seen last night.

"It's very important Ciara speaks to us, if we have any hope of catching her parents' killer," Veronica finished firmly, reaching for her briefcase after catching sight of her watch. She and Logan had an appointment with the obstetrician in just under half an hour and she was already running late.

"I hope you get the person who did this," Sarah Jones said sincerely, taking Veronica's hand and shaking it warmly.

"We will," Veronica assured the woman with a lot more confidence than she felt. "Thank you for all your help, Mrs. Jones. I will be in touch."

"This feels so weird," Veronica mumbled to Logan nervously as the two of them pushed through the double doors that led to obstetrician, Dr. Clarence's suite of offices.

"I know what you mean," Logan whispered, taking her hand and squeezing it warmly. "I just can't believe we are going to have a baby."

One other couple were sitting waiting when they arrived, the pair engaged in discreet, excited chatter as they waited to be called. The woman was about a year or two older than Veronica and was heavily pregnant, her pink shirt straining beneath the size of her bump.

"We're here to see Dr. Clarence," Veronica informed the middle-aged receptionist distractedly, unable to stop her eyes straying towards the other pregnant woman.

That would be her in a few months. The blonde woman was petite in stature, her figure probably not too unlike Veronica's and Veronica found it hard to believe that in a few short months she would be expanding to similar proportions. It wasn't going to make work easy and Veronica could only imagine how uncomfortable it was going to be, facing pregnancy during the hot LA summer.

"Take a seat and fill in these forms, if you would," the receptionist informed them briskly, efficiently handing Veronica a clipboard and a pile of forms to complete. "Dr. Clarence will be with you shortly."

Dr. Clarence looked nothing like Veronica expected. Her dark hair hung loose around her shoulders and she was relatively young, Veronica estimating the woman's age to be no more than forty-five.

"Hello Veronica and Logan," Dr. Clarence welcomed the couple warmly as she ushered them into her room. Taking the completed paperwork from Veronica with a smile, she quickly thumbed through the sheets of paper before giving a satisfactory nod. "Could the pair of you take a seat?"

Walking over the pair of chairs pulled up in front of Dr. Clarence's desk, Veronica and Logan sat down as the obstetrician slid her glasses onto the bridge of her nose and took a seat behind her desk.

"How have you been feeling, Veronica?" the older woman began with a kindly smile on her face. "Pregnancy, particularly during the first few months can be very hard."

"Well, the morning sickness certainly hasn't been fun, I can tell you," Veronica replied wryly, tucking a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "But other than that, I've been okay, I guess."

Opening Veronica's file, Dr. Clarence made a few cursory notes before commenting on some of the observations Dr. Lavelle had made. "Your blood pressure was a little high the last time," she noted, looking up over the glasses perched on her nose and peering at Veronica.

Considering she had almost been killed a few days previous to her visit to Dr. Lavelle, that was hardly a surprise, Veronica mused inwardly but she said nothing.

"We'll have the midwife check that for you in a minute and also take some blood samples. You're in good health, though and you're a healthy weight, so I don't think you should have much trouble with your blood pressure. Now, have you been taking a prenatal vitamin?"

"I just started taking it last week," Veronica cringed, her face reddening as she gazed at the doctor. "To be honest, this wasn't exactly planned and I had no idea I was even pregnant until I visited the doctor last week."

"Don't worry," Dr, Clarence spoke reassuringly, scribbling another note into the file. "Once you eat a relatively healthy diet, your baby should be okay. In my time, there was no such thing as these fancy prenatal vitamins and we all got on just fine."

Standing up, the doctor gestured at Veronica and Logan to follow her over to the doctor's table that was standing at the side of the room.

"Now, sit up there, Veronica and we'll see how everything is going."

Sitting up on the smooth leather of the doctor's table, Veronica was suddenly wracked with nerves. While the news of her pregnancy had come as an undeniable shock, Veronica had slowly come to an acceptance of the fact that she and Logan would be sharing their lives with a tiny baby in a few short months. To be told now that that wouldn't be happening would be devastating.

The clear gel the doctor squeezed onto her stomach was cool and Veronica shivered a little as Dr. Clarence moved the wand over her stomach.

Directing Veronica and Logan's attention to the monitor mounted on the wall, Dr. Clarence pointed at an indistinct flicker in the centre of the screen.

"See that there, that's the heartbeat," she smiled and Veronica and Logan could only stare at it in sheer wonderment. Feeling Logan's hand close around hers, she smiled. This suddenly felt so right.

"You're about eight weeks along by my estimation," Dr. Clarence informed them, her eyes centered solely on the screen. "And everything looks great. Now, have you two got any questions for me?"

Seated at her desk the next morning, Veronica nibbled unenthusiastically at a saltine cracker, in a desperate attempt to keep the nausea away. It was early and the office was still relatively quiet, the first of the FBI agents starting to stream into the building to begin their days work.

Spread across her desk were the crime scene photos and if all the pregnancy hormones weren't succeeding in making Veronica feel sick, the images of the Clark's lifeless remains certainly were.

"This guy is some sick creep," Burke muttered in disgust, as he took a seat beside Veronica and picked up one particularly disturbing photo that featured a close up shot of the gaping wound in Claire Clark's head. Claire had been a blonde but that fact was completely indistinguishable in the picture, her hair stained a deep, muddied red from all the matted blood. "The sooner he's behind bars the better. That bastard deserves to rot in jail after the shit he's done."

Veronica didn't disagree. The very thought of The Red Ribbon Killer roaming the streets freely was enough to send a shiver running up her spine. Though she wouldn't admit as much to Logan, Veronica was still haunted by the events surrounding the final showdown in her apartment with Brian Matthews.

FBI protocol demanded that she receive some kind of therapy to help her deal with the emotional trauma but Veronica had as of yet to attend a single session. Discussing ones feelings and delving into emotional upheavals in the past didn't come naturally to Veronica and if she was to be honest, she was dreading having to attend.

"Did the Clark girl provide you with any useful information yesterday?" Burke asked, stirring his cup of coffee with a plastic spoon.

Veronica had reluctantly decided to forgo her usual morning coffee, having discovered to her horror that caffeine was harmful to the developing fetus. Thankfully, Veronica didn't smoke and only very rarely drank but the baby had been exposed to a lot more caffeine in the previous weeks than she would have liked.

_No more coffee,_ Veronica had sternly told herself after reading through the first chapter in her baby book. It seemed sushi and shellfish were off the menu too for the next few months, not that Veronica cared. The simple act of eating had turned into a ordeal since Veronica had started been plagued by morning sickness. In fact, it would suit her down to the ground if she never had to eat a single morsel of food ever again.

"Not in the way you would think," Veronica replied, turning to face Burke. "Ciara refused to talk about what happened to her parents and to be honest, was very reluctant to speak with me at all. Apart from a few vague references to school, she barely opened her mouth."

"Well, that's not surprising considering the shock the poor girl just got," the FBI agent replied with a sympathetic shake of his head. "To find her parents that way, it's unimaginable," he sighed, his face tightened in a grim expression.

"I don't know, Burke but it was more than that," Veronica insisted, smoothing a hand over her blonde hair. "The girl looked scared, almost as though she was afraid to say anything about her parents. And she had some really nasty looking bruises on her wrist, almost as though someone grabbed her really hard."

"You think the parents were abusing their daughter?" Burke interjected disbelievingly.

"I'm not saying that," Veronica disagreed, trying to put words on the cold feeling that settled in her stomach when when was speaking with the girl. "But you weren't there, Burke and I swear, there's something about the girl that doesn't sit right."

"Morning Agent Mars and Agent Burke," a voice behind them greeted them curtly.

Looking around, Veronica saw Marilyn Hauser standing behind them, dressed immaculately in a black skirt and jacket.

"I'm just off the phone to CSI and they've found something very interesting in the Clark home."

Veronica's curiosity was instantly piqued by the tone in Marilyn's voice and she waited expectantly for the woman to continue.

"CSI were collecting blood that had seeped between the cracks of the wooden floor when they found an older sample of blood that is at least seven to eight years old. And it wasn't a small sample either. Their blood splatter analyst concluded that there was no way that someone could have survived that level of blood loss."

"You mean someone else was murdered in the Clark home?" Veronica cut in disbelievingly, a familiar surge of adrenaline starting to surge through her body.

Preliminary investigations into the Clark family had revealed that Claire and James had bought the small bungalow shortly before they had married in 2000.

"Exactly," the unit director confirmed grimly, her arms folded at her chest. "Now I need you to trawl through hospital records and police reports and identify all the people who were reported missing or who were fatally injured during the years 2002 to 2003. With the blood sample, we will hopefully be able to use DNA to identify who the victim was."

"I knew there was something off about the Clarks," Veronica murmured to Burke once Marilyn was out of eat shot and now her partner could only agree. "I bet Ciara knows something about this. We need to get that child talking to us."


	5. Chapter 5

**So sorry about the delay in getting out this chapter. Real life is absolutely insane at the moment. Our baby is due in three weeks, so I'm trying to get the last minute preparations done:)**

**Thanks for all the wonderful feedback I received for the last chapter:) It is much appreciated!**

**Anyway, here is chapter five...Enjoy:)**

Why are we here again? Veronica demanded unhappily as she wandered beside Logan through the crowded mall. "I'm the dream girlfriend, remember. The one who hates the mall and shopping.

"Dream girlfriend? You're not Jessica Alba," Logan shot back jokingly, which earned him a sharp nudge from Veronica.

The mall was the usual Saturday evening hell, heaving with screaming, raucous children and their red-faced, scolding parents. Despite the air conditioning, it was almost unbearably hot and Veronica felt horribly sticky and clammy and yearning for a shower.

"It's so hot in here," she complained, pushing back her blonde hair behind her ear. "I need to get a drink of something cold. I feel like crap."

"You're so cute when you're grumpy," Logan murmured teasingly, pulling Veronica in the direction of an ice-cream stall. "Maybe some rocky-road will cheer you up."

"I wish," Veronica murmured darkly, swallowing heavily. Though normally Veronica couldn't get enough of the stuff, today the mere thought of the heavy, chocolate ice-cream was enough to make her stomach churn violently. "Water will have to do for me, I'm afraid."

"The poor baby must be starving," Logan chuckled, shaking his head. "I can't remember the last time you ate something other than yogurt or cereal without spilling your guts up afterwards.

"Oh, don't worry about the baby," Veronica assured her boyfriend, gratefully accepting the bottle of water from him. "I've been assured that this morning sickness will pass in a few weeks and then I'm going to have some serious making up to do. This baby will be very acquainted to all the finest food McDonalds and Taco Bell has to offer by the time it's born."

"When are you going to tell you dad?" Logan asked Veronica curiously, as he took her hand in his.

"Never," Veronica answered simply, prompting an amused smile to break across Logan's face.

"As much as I love your idea," Logan grinned, pulling Veronica into his arms and kissing hr softly. "I think the bump you're going to have in a few months will be a dead giveaway, not to mention the baby."

"I guess you're right," Veronica laughed. "But I really don't want to have to tell my dad until I absolutely have to. I have enough to be worried about at the moment without my dad having a nervous breakdown because his only daughter is pregnant."

"You really think he'll take it that badly?"

"What do you think?" Veronica replied pointedly and Logan could only sigh heavily in agreement.

If a day spent trawling though missing person's case files proved anything, it was that there was a hell of a lot of cracks in the child protection system. Actually, they were more like gaping crevices. Hundreds of kids were reported missing every month and although most found their way home again, some seemed to simply disappear off the face of the earth.

"This is depressing," Burke muttered unhappily, thumbing through photos of children, some of whom couldn't be much older than twelve or thirteen.

"It sure is," Veronica agreed, distractedly tucking a lock of blonde hair behind her ear as she scanned through the pitiful story of yet another missing teen. The girl's file was littered with emergency room reports and police reports detailing the litany of abuse she suffered at the hands of her alcoholic father. She had never shown up after school, one Friday, thirteen years ago. It had taken her father over a week to report her missing.

The police had never managed to track down the missing girl. _Probably better off, _Veronica considered, feeling infinitely grateful that she was blessed to have such a loving and caring father.

The phone ringing on the desk interrupted Veronica's thoughts.

"Agent Mars?" an abrupt voice came over the line.

"Speaking," she replied, reaching automatically for a paper and pen.

"This is John Spencer from the lab. I'm just calling to let you know that we got a match on the blood sample that was sent from Clark house."

"That's great," Veronica smiled, mouthing the good news to Burke. This might be just the lead they had been waiting for.

"It belongs to a girl called Cheryl Holmes. She disappeared June 2003 and her body had been discovered a few days later on some waste ground over in Burlington."

Cheryl Holmes' dismembered body had been discovered by kids, rummaging through a tangle of undergrowth to uncover a lost ball. The teen had been reported missing by her mother the previous week after she had failed to return home from a study session with friends. Though the police had carried out an extensive investigation into the girl's death, nobody was ever charged in relation to the murder and the case had remained unsolved.

_Until now,_ Veronica hoped, glancing through the photos of the pretty teen which had been forwarded to the pair by the LAPD.

"We need to speak with the original team who investigated this case." Veronica decided, looking away from the computer screen and catching her partner's eye. "And also to her mother and friends. Maybe someone knew something back then but was afraid to say anything."

"Maybe," Burke replied doubtfully. Reaching for the phone on his desk, he began making the calls.

"You're the agents looking for information on Cheryl Holmes?"

Nodding in reply, Veronica and Burke flashed their badges at the detective before he ushered them over to his desk. Piled high with paperwork and case files, the desk was a mess.

"Take a seat," he directed, grabbing another chair and arranging it at the opposite side of the desk for the two agents.

Resting a hand on his cheek, Marshall looked pensive as he recalled the details of Cheryl Holmes' brutal death. "Some cases are hard to forget," he sighed, as he pulled out the Holmes case file and started to thumb through some pictures.

"What kind of animal would do something like this," Burke exclaimed in horror and Veronica understood why. It was almost impossible to believe that the decaying, blue-grey flesh that had been discarded so callously in garbage bags had once belonged to the beautiful girl that was photographed smiling with her friends.

"Were there any suspects?" Veronica asked, finding herself almost unable to draw her eyes away from the image of Cheryl's dismembered head wrapped in the black plastic.

"The boyfriend." Marshall replied grimly, pulling some transcripts of interviews from the file. "Craig Johnson was possessive, by all accounts. Her friends didn't like him. They said he was obsessed with Cheryl and every time she tried to finish the relationship, he would manipulate her until she changed her mind."

"But he wasn't charged with the murder?" Veronica asked and the detective shook his head in reply.

"Johnson's alibi stood up. He was out of town at the time on a family vacation. There was no way he could have done it. A few other local creeps were also quizzed but nothing came of it. And with no new information, the case turned cold, so to speak."

"Until now," Veronica smiled, crossing her arms over her chest as a surprised look came over the detective's face.

"You have some information about the Holmes case?" Marshall demanded impatiently as he waited for her to continue.

"Cheryl's blood was found in the Clark house," Veronica explained, a frank expression in her blue eyes.

"You mean the house where that couple was killed the other day?" Marshall replied disbelievingly. "From what I've heard, those killings was the latest work of The Red Ribbon Killer. How the hell could that have anything to do with the Holmes case?"

"You'd be surprised how sick minds find each other," Veronica sighed, starting to fill in Detective Marshall on the details of the find.

"Cheryl was a junior in Westside High School, right?" Burke cut in, his eyes scanning through the information on the Holmes' file.

"Right," the detective agreed distractedly, sitting back in his chair and waiting expectantly for the FBI agent to continue.

"Well, guess where James Clark worked as a history teacher back in 2003?"

"No fucking way," the man retorted, and Veronica could only look at her partner in shock.

A light patter of rain was streaking across the windscreen of her car as Veronica pulled to a halt in front of her father's house. Alicia was already after leaving to go to work Veronica noted, seeing the conspicuous absence of her car in the driveway. Daryl would be in school and Veronica smiled, already anticipating spending a leisurely morning with her father without the usual hustle and bustle of the Mars-Fennel household.

"Morning, Honey," her father smiled as he opening the door to her before pulling her into a quick hug. "Hope you're feeling a little better."

"Yeah, I feel much better," Veronica lied, her stomach doing an unpleasant somersault as the scent of bacon wafting from the kitchen reached her nose. The morning sickness was driving her crazy. Everyday a new food or smell would nauseate her and would have to be crossed off her mental list of things she could bring herself to eat. Veronica was certain that soon she would be surviving solely on water and dry bread.

"Did you go to the doctor?" Keith inquired curiously as he poured himself a mug of coffee before offering Veronica a cup.

Declining the offer, Veronica felt her face redden as she mumbled some excuse about making a miraculous recovery a few hours after leaving the restaurant.

Veronica hated lying to her father, mostly because he seemed to have a sixth sense as to when his daughter was being sparing with the truth.

Taking a seat at the table, Veronica forced herself to take a bite from the plate of pancakes her father had set in front of her.

"Now I know something's wrong. You normally love my pancakes," Keith exclaimed in dismay, seeing the expression on Veronica's face as she struggled with her plate of food.

Veronica couldn't do this anymore. She and Logan had agreed to keep the news of her pregnancy to themselves for as long as possible and that suited Veronica just fine. For one, Veronica had no intention of informing Burke and her other colleagues in the FBI of the pregnancy until she had absolutely no choice. Veronica was determined to uncover the twisted truth of both the deaths of The Clarks and Cheryl Holmes, no matter what and she was certain she would be relegated to desk duty, if Marilyn even suspected for a minute she was pregnant.

"Dad, you're right. There is something I've got to tell you," Veronica sighed resignedly and Keith looked at her in surprise.

"Well, out with it then," he demanded, his fork frozen to his lips and Veronica could tell he had already guessed.

"Dad, me and Logan are... Well, we're, having a ..." she corrected, finding it almost impossible to find the words. "Dad, I'm pregnant."


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm so sorry for not having updated quicker but life has been crazy:) Our daughter was born** **on the 13th of October so to say that things are hectic in our house, is a bit of an understatement:) **

**Thanks so much for all the kind words I received for the last chapter:) I really appreciate it:) **

* * *

><p>"You're pregnant?"<p>

Keith didn't look happy. Not that Veronica expected him to. Though Keith had warmed to Logan somewhat in previous weeks, she knew that her father wouldn't have picked Aaron Echoll's son in a million years as a suitable life parter for his daughter. He stood for everything Keith Mars loathed. Or at least he had. As a teen, Logan had had everything handed to him and appreciated nothing. Work hadn't figured in Logan's vocabulary and he'd had a knack for finding trouble. Logan had changed a lot since the troubled teen that Veronica had first fallen in love with but Keith couldn't see that, his view of his daughter's partner clouded by their very messy breakup the year before.

Keith had probably still harbored some hope that his daughter might see sense and start dating a more dependable, less volatile guy. But a baby changed everything and would link Veronica and Logan together forever, no matter how many times Keith Mars wished otherwise.

"Dad, I need you to be happy about this or at least pretend to be," Veronica pleaded to her father, already preempting his less than enthusiastic response to the news. "This is hard enough without having you giving me grief as well. Do you think you can do that?"

"I suppose, I have no choice," Keith returned unhappily, pushing his plate of food away, his appetite evidently vanished.

"Dad," Veronica hissed warningly. "Happy thoughts, remember? There's a baby coming in a few months whether you're cool with this or not and I could really do with your support at the minute. Between morning sickness and work kicking my ass, I have more than enough on my plate at the moment."

Heaving a heavy sigh, Keith finally relented and flashed his daughter a smile. "I'm sorry, Veronica, it's just a lot to take in. You and Logan are barely back together and now you're having a baby. It's hardly ideal."

"You're telling me," Veronica returned wearily. "But it's done now, so all me and Logan can do is make the best of the situation. Which we are doing."

"And how's Logan handling all this?"

"Better than me," Veronica replied with a wry smile. "He's embracing the whole baby thing, talking about buying cribs and strollers and doctor's appointments."

"And you?" her father asked softly.

"I'm just so worried." Veronica sighed, feeling immensely relived to be able to be more honest than she has been for weeks. Around Logan she sometimes felt like she had to put on a show. He was being so positive about the pregnancy and the baby, that Veronica felt like she was being a bitch if she dared voice her concerns. "I work seventy hours a week, Dad. I'm never home before nine o' clock at night. And Logan's schedule is not much better. How the hell is a baby going to fit into that?"

"You will work something out," her father murmured soothingly. "You're not the first woman with a job to have a baby and they somehow manage. You will too,"

"I suppose," Veronica replied, though her tone didn't sound all too certain. "And what about work? I know that as soon as I tell Marilyn about the pregnancy, she'll put me on desk duty and if morning sickness doesn't drive me insane, then that most definitely will."

"You need to tell them, Veronica," Keith spoke sternly. "I know you're dedicated to your job but it's time to put yourself and the baby first."

"I know, you're right, Dad," Veronica agreed reluctantly, a sickening feeling in her stomach at the thought of having to broach the subject with Marilyn.

* * *

><p>By delving into the backgrounds of both James and Claire Clark, a sordid history of the crimes of James or Mark Claymore, as he was known back then, came to light. A teacher in a Chicago high school, Claymore had a number of accusations of sexual assault made against him back in the early nineties. Having being removed from his position in disgrace, Claymore had managed to change his identity to James Clark and began an entirely new existence in Los Angeles, where he managed to remain undetected until now. Shockingly, the man had never served any jail time for his crime, his lawyer succeeding in acquitting his client due to a number of inconsistencies in the evidence provided by one of his victims.<p>

"Karma's a bitch," Veronica murmured, shaking her head grimly as she glanced at the images of Mark Claymore's bloodied body pinned to the wall.

"What do we know about the wife?" Burke asked distractedly as he sifted through the files spread across her desk.

"Not much," Veronica sighed, looking up momentarily from her work. "Apart from the fact that she trained as an elementary teacher and volunteered in a rescue shelter once a week, there's nothing. She met and married James Clark a few years after the allegations of sexual assault were made, so it's quite possible Claire had no idea of her husband's past."

"You think?" Burke responded disbelievingly, reaching for a bottle of water and taking a long drink. "The couple were married for over ten years. I find it almost impossible to believe that a monster like Claymore could keep his true self hidden for so long."

"Maybe," Veronica allowed. "Anyway, we've a meeting with Claire's sister this evening so maybe she knows something. Though, God knows what considering, according to her, she hasn't seen Claire in years."

Marian Green was a small, slight woman who immediately gave out a sense of unease. Shaking the FBI agents hands nervously, she gratefully took a seat on the chair Veronica offered her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized shakily, smoothing a hand over her wool skirt. "It's just that I'm not used to dealing with the police, never mind the FBI."

"That's okay, Mrs. Green," Veronica reassured the woman, flashing her a warm smile. "Most people aren't. Now, we're terribly sorry to have to drag you in here after the terrible few days you're after having but we need your help in investigating the death of your sister and brother-in-law."

"I'm not sure I can be of much help, if I'm to be perfectly honest. I haven't seen my sister in years. We never were very close and after she got married, well that was it. We fell out of contact. I never even knew she had a daughter until I heard about the murders on the radio the other day. Poor child." she murmured, shaking her head sadly. "How's the little girl doing?"

"As well as can be expected," Veronica replied evasively, sifting through the file than was on the desk. "Now, back to Claire, would you mind telling me if there was a reason the two of you hadn't been in contact?"

A pained expression crossed Mrs. Green's face at that. "I've huge regrets," she sighed before continuing. "As a child, Claire had been very sick with leukemia. We nearly lost her twice and I don't think my parents ever recovered from the scare, even though Claire eventually regained her health. They gave her all of their attention and though I hate to say it, I was jealous. Our relationship never recovered and as soon as I got the chance to leave home, I did and never looked back."

"What about the rest of your family?" Burke interjected curiously. "Were any of the rest of them in contact with Claire?"

"There is no one else," Mrs. Green replied sadly. "My parents died years ago and we don't have any other siblings, so there was just me and Claire. Now there's just me."

"Is there anyone else you can think of who might know something about Claire? It would really help us out, Mrs. Green," Burke pleaded,

"The only person I can really think of is Janice Anderson. They were best friends all through high school and even went to college together. As far as I know, she's living in New York now. Her husband's some kind of hot shot lawyer."

"You've been very helpful, Mrs. Green," Burke praised the woman, as he made a note of the woman's name.

* * *

><p>Finishing the interview after asking the woman a few more questions, Burke and Veronica shook the woman's hand before leading her towards the door.<p>

"God, I haven't seen Claire in such a long time," Janice sighed sadly as her eyes drifted to the photos of her friend that were pinned to the wall. "My husband was offered a job in New York so we moved away and between having my own children and running a business, we just drifted apart. I can't believe she finally had the baby she always dreamed of," she finished, as she gazed between the two FBI agents.

"Why do you say that?" Veronica questioned the woman, stifling a yawn as a quick glance the clock confirmed that another day was going to stretch well into the ungodly hours.

"Claire had been trying for a baby for years," Janice replied softly. "It was actually part of the reason we lost contact. I fell pregnant with my first very quickly and as my bump grew and she still wasn't pregnant, it put a massive strain on our friendship."

"When did you last see Claire?" Veronica pressed the woman as her mind started to process the information Janice Anderson had just shared.

"Not in a long time," the older woman shrugged. "We moved to New York in '97 and I haven't seen her since. A few times I thought of picking up the phone to call her but I never actually went through with it."

"And James Clark?" Burke interjected, his drawn face showing the strain of the previous few days. "What was he like?"

"He was very quiet," Janice replied thoughtfully. "My husband used to dread going for dinner dates with them as it was almost impossible to make conversation with him."

"And do you think Claire was happy with him?" Burke continued.

"She seemed happy," she sighed. "But then, you never know what goes on behind closed doors."

* * *

><p>Pushing in the door of their apartment, Veronica yawned wearily. She was exhausted; not that she could blame pregnancy for that. The long days were starting to take their toll and for the third evening in a row, Veronica hadn't managed to leave the office until well after nine o' clock.<p>

Sprawled out in front of the television, Logan's attention was equally divided between the takeaway container of chow mein on his lap and the violent shoot-out that was playing out on screen.

"Nice, Logan," Veronica sighed sarcastically, her stomach turning both at the sight of the greasy food and the bloody scenes on the television. "I've reached my quota of looking at dead bodies for one day. Can you please turn on something else? Anything else." she pleaded, throwing herself down on the sofa beside him.

"Except that," she demanded, knowing that Logan was only teasing her when he changed the station to football game.

When Logan had settled on a mutually acceptable show, Veronica turned to her boyfriend.

"I told my dad, this morning."

"About the baby?" Logan asked nervously, placing the empty carton of takeout on the table.

"No about what you ate for dinner last night," Veronica snapped back irritably, before flashing her boyfriend an apologetic smile. "Look, I'm sorry for being such a bitch and I won't even blame the pregnancy hormones. Work was a nightmare."

"Well, out with it. What did your dad say?"

"He was okay about it," Veronica admitted, raising her blue eyes to meet Logan's searching gaze. "Not ecstatic or anything but okay. I think you can put your plans of fleeing the country safely on hold for now,"

"That's good to know," Logan laughed, reaching out and taking Veronica's hand in his. "How do you feel today?"

"Tired," Veronica admitted with a shrug snuggling up beside her boyfriend. "It's been a long day although I think, we've made some sort of headway with the case so that's something, I guess."

"You want me to make you something to eat?" Logan asked, planting a kiss on her cheek. "I could do scrambled eggs?" he added hopefully, knowing that the vast majority of foods sent Veronica racing to the bathroom to throw up.

"Ugghhh," Veronica moaned, shaking her head in defeat. "I think, I've given up on food. At this point, nothing other than crackers is staying down and if I have to even look at another saltine, I am going to scream."

"So that's a no then," Logan returned with an amused smile.

"I hate being pregnant," Veronica grumbled under her breath, before pulling herself off the sofa. "I'm good for nothing after today so I think, I'm just going to go to bed before I have to start this craziness all over again tomorrow. You coming?" she asked, flashing Logan a tired smile.

"If you make it worth my while," Logan replied teasingly and Veronica couldn't help but laugh in reply.

"Okay, you've twisted my arm," she sighed, rolling her eyes dramatically and laughing as Logan pulled her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry about the delay with getting out the chapter:) Between work and taking care of our daughter, there's very little time to get any writing done.**

**Thanks for the all the amazing feedback I received for the last chapter:) Enjoy!  
><strong>

The day was a sticky, miserable hell. Grey-black clouds swarmed the sky and the threat of a summer storm never seemed far away.

"Nice neighborhood," Burke commented as they drove through the tree lined streets to the house where Cheryl's mother and sister still lived. The houses displayed a type of uniform perfection that reminded Veronica a lot of Neptune. Expensive cars clogged up the driveways and the gardens were planted with an attention to detail that suggested weekly visits from a gardening service. "This is the kind of place that Cathy is always nagging at me to go see houses in. Not that we can afford it, with the way she spends money." he finished, grumbling under his breath as they pulled up in front of the Holmes' house.

"You'd want to buy a new car, before you'd even consider looking at houses here," Veronica teased her partner. "The residents association would run you out of town if they saw you pulling up in that clapped-out piece of crap, you dare to car a car."

"Funny, Veronica," Burke returned snidely but there was a hint of a smile on his face as he reached for his briefcase. "Remind me the next time I'm considering paying good money to go see Ricky Gervais that I should just go talk to you instead."

The Holmes' house was an imposing red-bricked building that was fronted by a immaculately kept stretch of green lawn. A white painted picket fence surrounding the property and a pink-little-girl tricycle left abandoned on the grass completed the picture of perfection. It was almost impossible to imagine that not so long along ago another girl had played on the same grass with her friends but she would never be coming back.

"Welcome," Mrs. Holmes smiled in greeting to Veronica and Burke as she opened the door and ushered them quickly inside. Though aged well into her fifties, Cecelia Holmes didn't look a day over forty. Her skin was smooth and unlined and her hair still the same blue-black it had been on the day her daughter's mutilated body had been found. "What can I do you for you?"

Seated in the blue-and-silver papered drawing room, Veronica spoke first.

"It's about Cheryl," Ms. Holmes, Veronica began softly watching carefully for the woman's reaction. "Some new information on your daughter's killing has come to light."

"What do you mean?" she demanded, looking both shocked and hopeful in equal measures. The murder of her daughter had impacted deeply on Cecelia Holmes and the fact the killer had never been brought to justice only served to leave the loss of her daughter as an angry, open wound that never had a chance to heal. "Has someone been arrested for her killing?"

"Not exactly," Veronica allowed, trying to find the balance between revealing enough information to the woman that might allow the investigation to progress without damaging their case. "But we have found some new evidence that might hopefully lead to an arrest in the future."

"For a minute I thought... Oh, never mind." Cecelia Holmes finished mournfully, angry at herself for even allowing the possibly of hope at getting justice for Cheryl enter her head. "What evidence did you find?"

"I'm afraid we're not at liberty of divulging that information yet," Veronica replied apologetically, feeling huge empathy towards the woman. Though outwardly Cecelia Holmes appeared to be very well put together, it was clear that this was merely a mask for the deep hurt and loss she was still carrying inside.

"We need your help, Mrs Holmes," Burke cut in, sensing Veronica's difficulty with the task on hand. "Do you recognize this man?" he asked, sliding a photo of James Clark out of his briefcase and placing it in front of the woman.

"Of course, I do," she replied, looking up at Burke in utter bafflement. "He was one of those unfortunate people who were brutally killed last week. It's been all over the television. What has that got to do with my daughter?"

"Are you sure you don't recognize him from anywhere else?" Burke pressed but the woman just shook her head and continued to stare at the photograph.

"I have never seen that man before," she reiterated assuredly. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Because this man taught your daughter's history class at the time of Cheryl's murder." Burke replied and Cecelia Holmes could only stare back at him, silenced by shock.

Despite protestations from both Veronica and Burke, Cecelia Holmes insisted on departing to the kitchen to prepare some light refreshments for her guests. Veronica guessed that the woman probably needed a moment to compose herself after the shocking revelations that had just taken place. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Veronica stood up and started to look at the dozens of

Cheryl had been a beautiful girl, the photos on the wall displayed showing none of the teenage awkwardness that most people had to cringe over. With long glossy, dark hair and a kind of a willowy elegance, Cheryl had appeared to be more like a professional model than the sixteen-year-old student she had been on the day she disappeared.

"Man, I've always wanted to go skiing," Burke commented idly as he picked up a photo of the family obviously on a skiing vacation, their arms wrapped around one another as they smiled cheesily for the camera. "What about it, Mars? How about you and me try and persuade Marilyn for the team to do some bonding on a slope in Aspen? Are you listening to me Mars?" Burke tried again, when Veronica failed to answer.

"Holy crap, Burke, look at this," Veronica exploded, pointing at a picture on the wall of a little pig-tailed girl, evidently the owner of the tricycle parked outside.

"What is it?" the FBI agent demanded, getting up from the sofa and walking quickly to Veronica's side.

Staring at the picture on the wall, Burke felt as though he had been kicked in his gut.

The little girl in the photograph was almost identical to Ciara Clark.

* * *

><p>"Don't get your hopes up, Veronica," Burke warned as they wormed through the early-afternoon traffic. "It could just be a coincidence. Nothing can be proved until after we have a match on the DNA sample for the two girls."<p>

"You know, I don't believe in coincidences," Veronica countered, reaching for her bottle of water and taking a long swig.

The traffic was a nightmare. The earlier dark clouds had come good on their promise and rain now pounded unmercifully from the sky, causing cars to crawl along the highway at a frustratingly slow pace.

"Hey, are you okay, Mars?" Burke asked in concern, suddenly noticing how quiet his partner had got.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired, that's all," Veronica lied, resting her head back against the headrest and forcing herself to try and relax. The truth was that she was not alright. For weeks she had berated and whined about the extent of her morning sickness. The fact she could barely keep as much as a cracker and water down without being violently sick. She hated that she had been constantly tired. Constantly sick. Her breasts had been so sensitive, she could hardly pull her shirt over her head without moaning in pain. But now she felt nothing. The sickness had passed, her appetite had returned and though Veronica had welcomed feeling almost human again, there was also a small part of her that was anxious that all was well with her pregnancy. To compound her fears, she had been feeling a little crampy since waking up that morning. Nothing too concerning but worrying enough that she decided she would put a call into Dr. Clarence's office as soon as she got into work.

"How could it even be possible?" Veronica asked softly, in an effort to distract her more from her troubling thoughts about her pregnancy than to brood further on the Holmes case.

"What do you mean?" Burke asked distractedly, trying to negotiate the worsening lines of cars stalling on the road.

"I mean, someone would surely have noticed that this sixteen-year-old girl was pregnant. You might get away with it for a few months at the start but there's no way she could have hidden it in the end. Her mother, her friends... Surely someone would have noticed.

"You'd think that wouldn't you but this wouldn't be the first time a teenage girl had tried to conceal her pregnancy and certainly won't be the last. Haven't you ever heard of prom babies?"

"I know," Veronica finally conceded, relieved when Burke finally pulled up in front of the building.

* * *

><p>"What's happening to me?" Veronica chuckled darkly as the case files she once would have consumed the second she got to the desk were now cast aside for a quick Google search on her phone.<p>

"Cramping, first trimester" Veronica typed and nervously started scanning through the replies a woman had received when she had posted a similar query to a pregnancy forum. It seemed reassuring enough but Veronica decided to also put a call into Dr. Clarence just to out her mind at rest.

It was amazing how Veronica wanted so desperately not to be pregnant when she first took the pregnancy test in the grotty restroom in the mall and now, the prospect of losing the pregnancy was more terrifying than a million encounters with Brian Matthews or The Red Ribbon Killer.

Punching the numbers into her cell phone, Veronica waiting nervously for a reply.

"Dr. Clarence's office. How may I help you?" came the chirpy reply, which Veronica recognized as the friendly receptionist she had Logan had dealt with the other day.

"I would like to make an appointment with Dr. Clarence for as soon as possible," Veronica replied, her stomach knotting nervously as the thoughts of lying on the doctor's bed and the ultrasound not showing such good news this time.

"I have an opening at three o' clock tomorrow if that would suit," the receptionist offered brightly.

"That would be perfect," Veronica agreed with fake optimism, wondering if she could maintain her sanity waiting for an appointment which seemed to be a million years away.

* * *

><p>Veronica was poking halfheartedly at her avocado salad, when she heard a curt knock on the door and Marilyn Hauser gazing intently at her.<p>

"Burke just filled me in on what happened today," she began, smoothing a hand over her carefully arranged hair. "I've arranged for Cheryl's DNA and Ciara Clarks to be sent for testing. They're being rushed through as we speak so we're hoping to have results by the evening."

"That's great," Veronica agreed half-heartedly, taking another bite from her salad before pushing it dejectedly away.

"Are you alright, Veronica?" the unit director asked Veronica pointedly, having noticed how pale and sickly Veronica had seemed over the previous weeks but not wanting to intrude. "You don't seem yourself."

Veronica had been determined to keep the news of her pregnancy from her FBI colleagues for as long as she possibly manage as she didn't want to be treated differently by Burke or put on desk duty just because she was pregnant. But the stress of the morning and the pregnancy hormones was making the deception more difficult by the day.

"I'm fine," Veronica quickly lied, flashing Marilyn a weak smile. The last thing she needed right now was to have Marilyn Hauser know she was pregnant. Marilyn would probably insist Veronica take a few days off work and work was the only thing keeping Veronica sane right now."Just tired, that's all. It's been a crazy few weeks and I've not been able to catch up with my missed sleep quota, if you get what I'm saying,"

"Once that's all it is, that's fine, Veronica," Marilyn replied, though the look on her face told Veronica that she didn't entirely believe her. "Maybe take the rest of the day off. Catch up on some of that sleep and return tomorrow rested and ready to work."

"Really, I'm fine," Veronica insisted, annoyed she had displayed her weakness for Marilyn to see. "I've loads of work to get to."

"Veronica, this is not up for discussion. Go home and we will see you in the morning. Do I make myself clear?" she demanded.

"Crystal." Veronica replied through gritted teeth. She might have to go home but that didn't mean she couldn't do any work. Sliding the case files into her briefcase, Veronica made Burke swear he would ring her the second he heard anything about the DNA samples before heading outside to her car.

* * *

><p>Pushing her way into the apartment, Veronica dropped her briefcase by the door before throwing herself gratefully onto the sofa. Reaching for the remote, she absently switched on the television and laying down on cool leather, tried to relax as the reality show playing on screen became a comforting buzz of white noise in the background. She was utterly exhausted. <em>Marilyn was right,<em> Veronica conceded, as she closed her eyes and felt the dull throb in her head finally recede for the first time in days._ I really needed this, _her contentment growing as her eyes grew steadily heavier.

It felt like only minutes later that she heard Logan sliding his key into the door and his footsteps creaking across the battered floorboards. Groggily opening her eyes, Veronica was shocked to see that it was dark outside, the inky-blue sky already sprinkled with stars that now glittered in at her through the still open curtains.

"You're home early," Logan commented with a smile as he switched on the light before crossing the room to where his girlfriend still lay sprawled on the sofa. "How did you swing that?"

"Marilyn was feeling particularly bossy today and she sent me home to get some sleep," Veronica replied grumpily, still very tired and not happy at having her sleep intruded on by Logan's return.

"I like bossy Marilyn," Logan smiled, giving his girlfriend a quick kiss before taking a seat beside her. "Especially if it means I get to spend more time with you. We should take advantage of this, maybe go for some dinner or something?" he suggested brightly.

"It's easy to know you're not pregnant," Veronica sighed wearily, pulling herself to a sitting position and stretching her arms high above her head. "I have to go back to bed for another hour or so and then we can do whatever you want," she allowed with an apologetic smile. "I swear, I've never been so tired before in my life."

Closing the door of their bedroom behind her, Veronica relished the quiet, cool of the room as she unbuttoned her shirt and skirt and hung them up carefully in the wardrobe. Left standing in her underwear, she rummaged through Logan's drawer finding an old t-shirt of his to pull on when she felt a sudden sticky dampness down below.

Pulling down her underwear with shaking hands, Veronica felt like she had been punched in the gut seeing the bright red of the blood staining the fabric.


End file.
